Here we go again, Chapter Five…

Sorry it took so long to update, please enjoy!

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Big thanks to my reviewers!!

cookies and cake for all!!!

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Chapter Five

"He plans on leaving us, Naruto-kun." Naruto remained stock still as the words of The Snake bit deep into his thoughts. He watched Sasuke's still form in the bed, able to feel Orochimaru's fingers as they dug down onto his shoulders.

"He hasn't told you, has he? He plans on leaving us…he plans on leaving you, to go somewhere to be with his family…aren't you happy for him, Naruto-kun? Aren't you happy for Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto's dead eyes only watched Sasuke's heavily breathing form, able to feel The Snake's arms wrapping around him from behind as if he was attempting to comfort him. Naruto could not bring himself to move. He couldn't bring himself to do anything, nothing…As he watched Sasuke's immobile form, he felt so alone even then '…he couldn't…no, Sasuke wouldn't leave me…'

"Aren't you happy for him?" Orochimaru whispered again.

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"Am I happy for him…?"

These words had circled Naruto's mind for the whole two nights that Sasuke had been unconscious in that bed. He'd had a lot of time to think. Sitting there at Sasuke's side, wondering…hoping that Orochimaru was lying to him.

Sasuke would never leave me…he wouldn't…

"Naruto? Are you okay?"

Naruto looked away from the spot on the floor that he had been glaring it and turned to the ebony haired boy who stood just through the doorway, looking a little groggy still, but ready none the less to go to school as Orochimaru had insisted. Naruto saw the part of the cast that was on Sasuke's arm, just visible beneath the sleeve of his school jacket.

Naruto nodded, looking upon Sasuke fully in the eyes, watching him, trying to read him. But Sasuke's face had never seemed so blank before. Naruto had never seen him that way, never. "I'm fine," Naruto reassured him, though the throbbing pain was still there in his chest, along with the fresh and even more vicious pain that stabbed at his heart.

"How about you?" It was a simple enough question, but Naruto looked upon Sasuke with eyes that could kill. The sadness. The misery. The pain. It had never been so visible before, Naruto could never remember it so badly as that before…it had become too much of routine to be anything else, to be anything more. But there was a pain swelling deep within his chest, and it hurt so very badly.

Sasuke shrugged, he was still unusually pale, his left eye was slightly bloodshot and he had a few scrapes visible upon his face and the back of his hands, but considering it had only been two nights ago that the whole thing had taken place, Sasuke looked pretty good. And that was because of Kabuto, he may have been one of the worst people in the world, with maybe no morals as far as either Naruto or Sasuke were concerned, but he was a brilliant medic, no matter how much they loathed him.

"Ne, Sasuke…?" Naruto looked away from Sasuke, down at the sheets that his hands held captive, his pain filled eyes just looking at the white. Sasuke walked over towards Naruto who was back in that bed again. Sasuke's aching body seemed to prefer it more when he moved anyway, it hurt more to remain still, he stood at the side of Naruto's bed and looked over him.

"What is it, Naruto?" his voice was still small compared to what Naruto was used to, but he guessed that he couldn't blame Sasuke, although it was unusual that he was the quieter one after such situations.

"Remember…when you promised…that one day, you would get us out of here…" Naruto began nervously, feeling so filled with doubt that it was beginning to cloud his mind. He didn't want to look up to Sasuke; he couldn't bring himself to do so.

Sasuke looked away from Naruto and at the wall, avoiding eye contact as well. "I remember."

Naruto sat further forwards and his shoulders seemed to drop.

"I know that you won't let me down, Sasuke."

Naruto couldn't help it, he had to say something. He had to say it. This seemed to spark something within Sasuke; he turned to glance back at Naruto only to see that the boy hadn't moved from how he was sat. Sasuke felt he should smile, but he honestly couldn't bring himself to doing so, he hadn't the heart to, not while he was drowning in guilt.

"Aa." Sasuke nodded, and placing his left hand into his trouser pocket, he headed towards the door; not looking back at Naruto who he knew hadn't looked at him either. Then -,

"Sasuke," Naruto's fearful eyes looked up at Sasuke who's stopped at the doorway, his back still held to Naruto.

"Sasuke, I love you."

Sasuke's eyes broadened as he stared out of the door. Motionless.

…I'm sorry that I can't protect you, Naruto…I wish I were stronger…I wish I had all the courage that you do…I honestly can't deserve your affection…

Sasuke left without uttering a word.

Something snapped within Naruto.

His glassy eyes watched the doorway as it shut, Sasuke leaving yet again. Sasuke going away without saying a word of comfort, without reassuring Naruto…without saying one damned thing.

Something snapped within Naruto.

Something within him at that moment had been somehow ripped from him and he couldn't recall the last time that he'd felt like that. He last time he'd felt such misery or such loneliness…I still have Sasuke… but why did it hurt when he thought that? Was it because he didn't believe it? Was it because he thought it was a lie? Was it because he believed what Orochimaru had told him?

No. Orochimaru lies. He lies. He does it all the time, he tells us lies to tare us apart. He lies, he always, always lies. Always.

"Always."

Within the time that it took for Naruto to get his body out of the bed, he sat at the barred window, his hands against the glass as he sat upon the cushioned sill, and Sasuke was there, walking away.

He could only remember him walking away. He thought back to the past few days…he's just been walking away…just leaving…but I know he'll come back to me…he'll come back because he promised me…he promised he get us out of here…he promised me…and…and he knows that without him…without him…I…

"Did you say your goodbyes, Naruto-kun?" came the voice of The Snake. Naruto hadn't heard the door open, nor did he react when he'd head the voice behind him. His eyes only looked out of the window, his hands upon the glass, he didn't say a word. "Because as I've promised you…he won't be coming back."

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Naruto waited at the window all day.

The broken pieces of his soul cracking further with every passing moment, that gaping wound within his heart only growing larger with every minute that passed by, the sound of the ticking clock was against him, the time was going too quickly, too quickly…his hopes, how hard did he hope that Orochimaru had once again lied…how many times had he whispered Sasuke's name, begging him to come back?

How much longer would it be before Naruto were to find out if Sasuke would return or not? Naruto just sat there, the time was going by too fast…and before he had realised it, it was coming to the minutes before Sasuke was to return…

No one came back to the house that night.

Sasuke did not return.

Tears did not fall from Naruto's eyes as the hours past. Rather he remained as he was. Motionless, fixated to the glass. Waiting.

"He promised me…" Naruto whispered, it was little more than a murmur. "He promised me…He promised…"

Emptiness filled him, smothering him came a sudden darkness, and he could feel it, along with the pain that was stabbing at his heart, Naruto could feel himself drowning in complete misery…

"I don't have…anyone…I don't have anyone to live for…he…left me…" His whispers, they were slow, they were empty yet overflowed with despair, as if a huge piece of himself had been ripped out, he felt as if he were simply dying at such a painful realisation…that not only had Sasuke lied to him…not only had Sasuke broken his promise…that Orochimaru had also told him to truth…and that too hurt just as much as anything.

"I don't want too…" Naruto whispered, his body falling down from the window ledge, landing upon his knees upon the ground, azure eyes empty yet glassy as his body seemed to work of its own accord, bringing him to his feet rather sluggishly. "I don't want to go through this…anymore…not alone…not alone…"

The reflection in the mirror, it stared back at him almost as if he wasn't even there.

Naruto just looked at himself, the cold water numbing his hands as it ran from the faucet. He couldn't even feel it…but he could feel the fear rising within him, fear not only of his loneliness, but fear that he may never find another like Sasuke…but did he really believe it? Did he really believe that Sasuke was gone?

No. He didn't want to believe it…but Sasuke would never have gone for so long….and Orochimaru…he wouldn't have said it…no he wouldn't have told me that unless is were true…not something that would affect me so much…

A warm tear cascaded down Naruto's paling cheek. He hadn't cried for a reason like that before…not that kind of hurt. He'd been hurt before, many times before, but never for that reason…it felt like a sort of betrayal…or what Naruto thought it felt like to be betrayed…or maybe it was that he felt like he'd been abandoned. Yes. Abandoned.

Abandoned for a second time. But it hadn't hurt as much the first time. The first time Naruto had been much younger…he hadn't realised what he'd had, that even though the first person to leave him hadn't spoken much or heed him much attention, they had helped each other…then suddenly he was gone, Orochimaru was furious and then a few hours later Sasuke appeared all bloody and bruised.

He didn't want to go through it all again. Not again. But could he do it? Could he really do it?

The mirror was smashed, his knuckles bleeding, and before he knew it, sitting on his knees, tears falling down his cheeks, Naruto held a shard of the mirror tightly in one hand, blood dripped all over that white floor.

Blood just dripped for a time. The pain in his bleeding hands…it took his mind off a few things, his teary eyes stared down at a sight that he was pretty accustomed too, the crimson on the white. Sasuke's face came to mind…the stupid things that Sasuke did to get Orochimaru to pay him attention…or rather - to draw attention away from Naruto.

His palling body shivered slightly. His body still so weak, his chest throbbing, his heart, though, the pain there it was deeper than anything else. He wouldn't be able to see Sasuke again now, would he?

No. Not since Sasuke was free. He couldn't. He couldn't bring Sasuke back to Orochimaru…I should be happy for him, shouldn't I? Shouldn't I be glad that he's found a way out…? Yes…I should be happy for him…but that hurts too…he left me…am I always going to be left behind?

"There goes another one, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru patted Naruto on the head as they stood at the orphanage door. "They left you behind again, didn't they? Those adults…they didn't want you…but I want you. I won't leave you…I'll never leave you…"

He didn't lie about that either, did he… Naruto thought back. All of the lies that he'd been fed. All of the promises of happiness and how they were all taken away from him. Anything that ever made him feel a slight happiness…taken away, or he was taken away from it. Orochimaru had moved him around for years…the experiments only beginning once Naruto had turned six. For the two years before Orochimaru had treated Naruto decently. He hadn't been around a lot before he was six, he worked for a rather secretive organisation or so Kabuto had said…but something happened…then they started moving around, a lot, and for a year or so that was how it was. As the experiments had been going on, Orochimaru brought someone else to the house one night, and maybe that went on until Naruto was eight.

He remembered again the night the older boy had left. The night that Sasuke had shown up... Sasuke…

Naruto knew exactly what he wanted to do.

The crimson pooled around his drooped arms, his face pressed against the tile floor, tears falling down his cheeks as they stared almost emptily at the long gashes that he had made along his inner lower arm…they were long and deep and numbing. On both arms, almost reaching up as far as his inner elbow…it had been a strange sensation, something soothing washing over his mind as he couldn't move his arms anymore, just watched the crimson as it poured out of the wounds painlessly and effortlessly.

He wondered if he would see his real parents where he was going…if they would be there, waiting for him…he had an image of them in his head, two figures with open arms, silhouetted, a bright white light surrounding them…

But Sasuke's face appeared ahead of his eyes. And brought the pain rushing back to him, searing throughout his momentarily numbed body, and all over again he couldn't stand the pain that he felt in his heart.

The pool of blood began to lick at strands of his hair when the pain in his heart and mind was too intense to stand, even as he began o black out, Sasuke's face was ahead of mind, Sasuke's smile and the hope that there had once been…those painful and final words.

Unrequited love?

Naruto broke that hours long silence. He screamed, and screamed until he could only hear his voice in his head telling him that it would all be over soon, just wait a little longer and it wouldn't have to go any further and Sasuke would be forgotten, and Sasuke would be safe…

"Naruto-kun…? Naruto-kun!"

Naruto knew that voice, but it wasn't a voice that he liked hearing…so he ignored it, tasting the blood against his lips.

He wouldn't take the abuse anymore, or the hurt of hoping.

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I ended that rather badly - I think….hmmm….

Was supposed to be more miserable and angst-y but it didn't work out that way…

Okay, really not much to say aside from hope you enjoyed and please read and review! Also I won't really be able to update on either this one or Branded for a while maybe - exams are coming up soon…sucks but that's life…

Again - please enjoy! And let me know what you all think!